I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. They say that neophyte believers are often more intense in their beliefs than the older ones… and I admit that I am a living example. Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment have introduced me to the vast universe of Warhammer (in video games) thanks to the upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and I am in full fan mode.
I don't think I'll end up painting figurines, but I can't deny that I have my feet buried in the lore of its universe and that I'm fervently awaiting the launch of Space Marine 2, which will arrive on September 9, 2024. I thought it would be an uneventful wait, but the Empire has chosen me to test the beta and tell you that you need to start sharpening your blade, Marine.
Faith, steel and gunpowder in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
The Emperor himself has authorized my foray into the beta of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2which is divided into two pillars: a mission belonging to the campaign and a pair of missions dedicated to Operations. The latter are Dungeons or Raids for three players that take place in different places and have different objectives.
I can't tell you the details about the campaign for obvious reasons. I can't share images and video either. Everything you see in this post is from the first mission of Operations mode. But don't worry, I can tell you some things from my experience.
The mission I played lasted over an hour at a leisurely pace. It was on PC, so I used the most powerful graphics settings to fully enjoy the visceral combat, the incredible horizons and an atmosphere that had me drooling like the most seductive Siren song. The only irregularities were a freeze of a couple of seconds during a cinematic and some occasional FPS drops.
Rest assured, the campaign is set to be epic, brutal, and very engaging. I haven't seen any bugs or errors during the campaign mission to call out heresy. Quite the contrary. My faith in the Empire and Saber Interactive has increased considerably. It's set to be something diabolical and brutal!
For the Glory of the Empire and the team!
Give me a hundred Space Marines. If that's not possible, give me a thousand of any other kind of soldiers – Rogal Dorn, Primarch of the Imperial Fists
He Operations Mode (PVE) has allowed me to enjoy two missions: Inferno and Decapitation. The video I share at the beginning of the post belongs to the first one and shows what the experience is like both alone and accompanied by another Marine. The squads are made up of three players and you can choose between 6 classes: Strategist, Assault, Vanguard, Bastion, Sniper and Heavy.
While you can figure out roles like tank, DPS, and support, I haven't found the game to necessarily require you to stick to the role entirely. It's pretty flexible, though it helps to know your purpose on the team. My favorite class has been Bastion, who carries a massive shield, a pistol, and the melee weapon, forgoing the primary weapon. His playstyle is centered around blocking and dealing damage. He belongs on the front lines of battle.
The first few Ops missions are really tough, especially solo with AI, because the class and equipment are not boosted. I'm fully confident that playing with other players after a week of launch is going to be an absolutely brutal and fun experience.
The structure of these missions is not very different from other games like World War Z, Left 4 Dead or Back 4 Blood: they are linear scenarios full of enemies in which you must carry out certain secondary objectives at specific points: find an object, defend points, withstand waves… Inferno culminates with a huge wave of enemies in the style of World War ZThey also have their stories, which complement the main one.
As far as gameplay goes, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 It's one of the most brutal, fun, and addictive things I've played in 2024 – and I'm coming off Helldivers 2. The iconic mechanic of executing enemies to regain health remains, which has you desperately searching for the red flash on an enemy to dismember them in the most gruesome ways imaginable. There's a lot of variety in executions, and it depends on what weapon you're carrying.
Another section that has won my little Marine heart is the progression system of our character in Operations mode. Each class and weapon has its own level bar and upgrade tree. And how do they get better? Well, as you've seen in other games like New World o Skyrim: using them. If you want to level up the Chainsword and the Bastion class, you just need to use them during operations.
Classes (armor) and weapons also have a customization system. Appearances are pretty consistent with the art style, although there are some colors that made me want to poke my eyes out. Nothing too outlandish for now, I hope they don't lose their way when it comes to adding more in the form of DLCs or cosmetic packs.
The most important thing to know about Operations is that it's a co-op mode. The AI is absurdly stupid to the point where it doesn't know the mechanics of some enemies. I had one happen during an operation where I was out of ammo (Bastion is 80% melee) and two flying enemies appeared and disturbed a shield. I waited 20 minutes on the clock and they didn't get killed because they either didn't shoot or they shot at the enemy on the shield.
The AI has been the worst thing about the Beta by far. Luckily I was able to count on my partner Sergio Cejas (Beld) to play in co-op and I swear the experience was completely different. More enemies appear and the first games are really hard (more so), but it is very noticeable that at least you have one person with you with the same desire to kill enemies.
After finishing our co-op session, we both came to the same conclusion: the game is absurdly fun and addictive in co-op. It's obvious that the developers created both the campaign and co-op mode to be played with other players. It's enjoyable solo, don't get me wrong, but it's not comparable.
I have no complaints about Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Beyond AI. The beta has been a piece of cake: performance, graphics and art, menu navigation, gameplay, sound, music and voice acting, controls… Not a single crash! Shooting feels good and each weapon has personality. Hand-to-hand combat is pretty crazy, especially when you learn how to block and parry.
If the final video game is anything like this beta, then I assure you that we have on our hands the bloodiest and most brutal video game of 2024, and one of the most fun along with Helldivers 2I would be very surprised if it ended up disappointing. I don't believe it or expect it, but a little bit of doubt never hurts.
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